Tube squeezer

ABSTRACT

A device for squeezing collapsible tubes such as toothpaste tubes characterized by three members interconnected together along one end thereof to form a V-shaped compartment diverging from the one end for receiving a toothpaste tube. The outer two members are substantially planar and the inner member is longitudinally curved and arranged with the convex curve surface adapted to engage the tube so that the application of pressure to the tube is moved progressively from the one end towards the head of the tube. In the preferred embodiment, the means for holding the three members together includes foot means for enabling the storage of the tube and the dispenser in the upright position, and the pressure member acting on the curved member has a movable block for transferring the squeezing force to the curved member so that the point of transfer can be shifted to increase or decrease the leverage applied to the flexible member.

United States Patent Casali et al.

[451 July 11, 1972 g [54] TUBE SQUEEZER [22] Filed: Sept. 3, 1970 [2]] Appl. No.2. 69,315

1,965,596 7/1934 Kline 2,210,226 8/1940 Weisberger.....

Primary ExaminerRobert B. Reeves Assistant Examiner-Thomas E. Kocovsky Attorney-Hill, Sherman, Meroni, Gross & Simpson ABSTRACT A device for squeezing collapsible. tubes such as toothpaste tubes characterized by three members interconnected together along one end thereof to form a V-shaped compartment diverging from the one end for receiving a toothpaste tube. The outer two members are substantially planar and the inner member is longitudinally curved and arranged .with the convex curve surface adapted to engage the tube so that the application of pressure to the tube is moved progressively from the one end towards the head of the tube. in the preferred embodiment, the means for holding the three members together includes foot means for enabling the storage of the tube and the dispenser in the upright position, and the pressure member acting on the curved member has a movable block for transferring the squeezing force to the curved member so that the point of transfer can be shifted to increase or decrease the leverage applied to the flexible member.

8 Clairm, 4 Drawing Figures PA'TENTEDJUL 1 1 1972 I My? 5% PM 1 wk TUBE SQUEEZER BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention is directed to a device to aid in dispensing material and in particular adapted for squeezing the contents from a collapsible tube or container.

2. Description of the Prior Art In removing the contents from a collapsible tube or container, such as a toothpaste tube, the person often squeezes the tube adjacent the head of the tube to collapse the tube adjacent the head and force some of the contents toward the closed end which sometimes results in rupturing the tube. Furthermore, the collapsing of the tube adjacent the head oftentimes deforms the tube to such an extent that it is difficult to remove the contents which are located at the closed end of the tube.

Numerous devices have been suggested to aid in squeezing the contents from a tube. These devices utilize a pair of pressure surfaces which are assembled in a V-shape arrangement and receive the tube with the closed end disposed in the apex of the V. By moving the pressure surfaces together, the collapsing V applies a pressure to the tube to squeeze the contents therefrom. Examples of these devices are disclosed in the U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,510,848; 1,876,489; 2,678,755; 3,211,341; and 3,262,605. In these devices, the pressure surfaces usually extended the full length of the tube and when pressure is applied thereto, a constant pressure is applied along the full length of the tube. Thus, while the device prevents the collapsing of the tube adjacent the neck prior to removing the material from the closed end, it does not progressively force the material out of the tube with the material adjacent the closed end being moved progressively toward the tube head and opening. In other words, the squeezer applies pressure along the full length of the tube and can result in a portion of the contents not being removed therefrom.

Another type of dispensing device for squeezing collapsible tubes is illustrated in US Pat. No. 1,979,105 and US Pat. No. 2,148,321. In these devices, a pair of pressure members are pivotally connected at one end so that they can be moved together with a collapsing V-type movement. The pressure members are of a length less than the length of the tube, so that when acting on a full tube, they apply the pressure to the portion of the tube adjacent the closed end to progressively move the contents towards the open end or head. However, because of the flat nature of the surfaces, a portion of the contents could sometimes be left in the tube after maximum pressure has been applied.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention is directed to a tube dispensing device for squeezing a collapsible container having a head at one end containing an opening and having the other end closed by a straight line seam. The device utilizes three members, two of which have substantially planar surfaces and a third member which is curved and sandwiched between the planar surfaces. The three members are interconnected at one end so that the curved member is in contact with both of the outer members and has its curved surface diverging away from one of the outer members to form an area for receiving a closed end of the container to be squeezed. In operation, the curved member applies a pressure which moves progressively from the closed end of the container towards the open end as the two outer pressure members are moved together. Preferably, the means for connecting the members together are spaced spring means which provide a gap between the curved member and the one pressure member for allowing the passage of the flattened container end as the contents is removed therefrom. The preferred embodiment also includes means on the other pressure surface for varying the point of contact on the curved member therewith to change the leverage applied to the curved member during squeezing of the container.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a squeezing device for a collapsible container which progressively squeezes the container from the closed end towards the head of the tube.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a squeezing device for a collapsible container which is moved along the length of the container as the contents is removed therefrom. v

A still further object of the present invention is to provide a squeezing device for a collapsible container having means to support the container in a vertical upright position.

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a device for squeezing a collapsible container which device has means for varying the leverage applied to the squeezing sur faces to enable squeezing of the contents of the container adjacent the head thereof.

Other advantages, features and additional objects of the present invention will become manifested to those versed in the art upon making reference to the detailed description and accompanying drawings which illustrate the preferred embodiment of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a side view of the tube squeezer of the present invention utilized to squeeze a collapsible container or tube;

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the tube squeezer of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an end view of the tube squeezer of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 4 is a side view of the squeezer of FIG. 1 with the collapsible tube removed.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT The principles of the present invention are best employed in a device generally indicated at 10 in FIG. 1 for squeezing a collapsible container or tube generally indicated at 11. The collapsible tube 11 such as used for containing toothpaste is a metal container which at one end has a conical head portion 12 which extends into a threaded opening 13 through which the contents of the tube is to be removed. At the other end, the tube 11 is closed by a substantially straight line seam 14 which is illustrated as a folded lock type seam. While the device 10 is particularly adapted to squeeze the contents from a metal collapsible tube such as a toothpaste tube, it also finds utility in squeezing the contents from any tube-like container such as a plastic collapsible tube.

The device 10 has a pair of substantially planar pressure members 18 and 19 and a curved member 20. The curved member 20 is curved along its longitudinal axis or length and has a convex surface 21 and a concave surface 22 which extend from one end 23 to the other end 24. The pressure member 18 has substantially planar or flat inner surface 25 and outer surface 26 and the pressure member 19 has substantially planar outer surface 27 and inner surface 28.

The members 18, 19 and 20 are assembled with the curved member 20 sandwiched between the members 18 and 19 and the members are held in the assembled relationship by resilient means illustrated as spaced spring connectors 29 and 30. The spring connectors 29 and 30 are located at one end of the assembled members so that an end 31 of the member 18 and an end 32 of the member 19 are both biased into contact with the end 23 of the curved member 20. As assembled, the convex surface 21 faces the surface 25 of the member 18 and is in contact therewith at the ends 23 and 31 from which the convex surface 21 curves or diverges away from the surface 25 to form a wedge-shape area 33 which, as illustrated, receives the tube 11 with the closed end or flattened portion in the apex of the wedge area adjacent the ends 23 and 31.

The concave surface 22 of the curved member 20 faces the surface 28 of the member 19 and contacts the surface 28 at the end 32. A movable pressure transfer means such as a block 34 is attached to the surface 28 by a pivot connection 35 (FIG. 2) and engages the concave surface 22 at 36 (FIG. 1) to hold the curved member away from the surface 28 of the member 19. By pivoting the block 34 on the connection 35 through an arc of 180", the point of contact 36a (FIG. 4) between the block 34 and the concave surface 22 is shifted to be adjacent the end 24 of the curved member 20. Thus, the distance between the contact point at the ends 23 and 32 and the pressure transfer means can be varied to vary the leverage applied to the curved member 20. Thus, with the block 34 turned to transfer the pressure at the point of contact 360, the head 12 of the tube 11 can be easily flattened to remove the last remaining portion of the tubes contents. Besides changing the leverage applied to the curved member 20, the block 34, when positioned to engage the surface 22 at point 36a, enables the direct application of force through the curved member 20 to the head 12 without flexing of the member 20.

The spring connectors 29 and 30 are each composed of a similar design and comprise a spring 40 (FIG. 3) for extending between foot members or blocks 41 and 42 which blocks act on the outer surfaces 26 and 27 of the pressure members 18 and 19. As illustrated, each of the springs 40 passes through apertures provided in the flexible member 20 and in the pressure member 19 to permanently secure each of the spring connectors 29 and 30 to these members. The pressure member' 18, which is thicker than the members 19 and 20, has a slot to receive each of the springs 40 and each slot is provided with a slight recess 44 for receiving the block 41 of each of the spring connectors 29 and 30. Thus, the member 18 can be disengaged from the spring connectors 29 and 30 to enable cleaning of the surface 25 and the convex surface 21 of any con tents of the tube or other foreign matter that may have accumulated thereon. As best illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 4, the blocks 41 and 42 are provided with flat end surfaces 46 and 47 respectively to provide a base for standing the device in an upright or vertical position on a shelf such as in a medicine cabinet.

As best illustrated in F IG. 3, the connecting means 29 and 30 are spaced apart near the corners of the members l8, l9 and 20 to provide a slot 50 extending between the convex surface 21 and the flat planar surface 25 to receive a flattened portion 11a of the tube which has been flattened by the removal of its contents. The flattened portion 11a is bent to one side to enable the flat surfaces 46 and 47 of the blocks 41 and 42 to support the device in the upright position illustrated in FIG. 1.

In use, the tube such as 11 is disposed with its closed end 14 in the apex formed by the convex surface 21 and the flat surface 25. By applying a squeezing force to the outer surfaces 26 and 27, the pressure members 18 and 19 are moved together with force applied to the member 19 being transferred through the block 34 to the curved member 20 to force it toward the surface 25 of the member 18 to force the contents from the tube '11. Due to the curvature of the member 20 and its flexible nature, the squeezing forces that flatten the tube 11 are applied to the tube adjacent the spring connectors 29 and 30 and then the forces are shifted progressively toward the end 24 as the distance between the members is reduced. The progressive shifting of the forces provides a rolling action which kneads the contents toward the head of the tube and insures removal of the material from the flattened or collapsed portion of the tube. Since the spring connectors 29 and -30 are resilient, they allow the end 23 to move away from the end 31 as the concave surface rolls along the flat surface 25.

Since the curved member 20 is slightly flexible, it will bend and tend to flatten its curvature as pressure is applied thereto. When the blbck 34 is adjusted to contact the concave surface 22 at point 360 instead of at point 36, the distance between the spring connectors and contact point is increased and the curved member will tend to flatten out more than before and thus vary the rolling action applied to the tube.

After the tube 11 has had a portion of its contents removed,

tube. Also, the slot can be expanded to remove the tube from the device when desired.

Although various modifications might be suggested by those versed in the art, it should be understood that we wish to employ within the scope of the patent warranted hereon, all such embodiments as reasonably and properly come within the scope of our contribution to the art.

We claim as our invention:

1. A device for squeezing the contents from a collapsible container having a head portion at one end with an opening for removing the contents of the tube and the other end of the tube being closed with a substantially straight line seam, said device comprising a pair of pressure members with each of said pair of members having a substantially planar pressure surface;

a third member having a curved configuration extending along a longitudinal axis to provide a longitudinally extending curved surface, said third member being disposed between said pair of members; and

resilient means for holding the pair of pressure members and the third member together at one end thereof with the curved surface of the third member contacting one of said pairs of members at said one end and diverging from said one member as the distance from said one end increases to form a means for receiving a collapsible container with the closed end disposed at said one end so that pressure applied to the pair of pressure members causes the squeezing of the contents from the collapsible container with the third member applying a squeezing action moving progressively from the one end of the one pressure member towards the other end.

2. A device according to claim 1, wherein the other of said pair of pressure members supports a movable block for transferring the pressure applied to said other pressure member to the third member, said block being movable on said other pressure member to shift the point of application of the pressure transfer to the third member thereby changing the leverage placed on the container being squeezed by the device.

3. A device according to claim 1, wherein the one member of said pair of pressure members has a thickness substantially greater than the thickness of the third member and the other member of said pair of pressure members.

4. A device according to claim 1, wherein said resilient means comprises a pair of spring connectors spaced apart at the one end of said members to provide a slot between the third member and the one of said pair of said pressure members at said one end, said slot being adapted to receive the flattened end of the container which end is created after removal of some of the contents of the container.

5. A device according to claim 1, wherein said resilient means includes a spring extending between a pair of foot members, said foot members acting on the outer surfaces of the pair of pressure members and having support surfaces for enabling an upright storage of the device with the one end being the base.

6. A device according to claim 5, wherein at least one of said pressure members has slots for receiving the spring of the resilient means so that the pressure member is removably assembled with the other members and is removable to enable cleaning of the pair of pressure members and the third member.

7. A device according to claim 1, wherein the resilient means are a pair of springs spaced from each other at said one end of said members, said springs include block members engaging the outer surfaces of each of the pressure members to urge the one end of the pair of pressure members into engagement with the third member, said block members having support surfaces enabling the positioning of the device on said one end, and wherein the other of said pair of pressure members has a force transfer means disposed thereon for transferring force applied to said other pressure member to the third member, said force transfer means being movably mounted on said other member so that the point of transfer to the third member can be shifted with respect to the one end to vary the leverage applied to the third member.

8. A device according to claim 7, wherein said force transfer means is a member pivotally connected to the other of said 5 air of pressure members, so that pivoting of said member through an arc of l80 shifts the point of transfer for the force transfer means.

IF l 

1. A device for squeezing the contents from a collapsible container having a head portion at one end with an opening for removing the contents of the tube and the other end of the tube being closed with a substantially straight line seam, said device comprising a pair of pressure members with each of said pair of members having a substantially planar pressure surface; a third member having a curved configuration extending along a longitudinal axis to provide a longitudinally extending curved surface, said third member being disposed between said pair of members; and resilient means for holding the pair of pressure members and the third member together at one end thereof with the curved surface of the third member contacting one of said pairs of members at said one end and diverging from said one member as the distance from said one end increases to form a means for receiving a collapsible container with the closed end disposed at said one end so that pressure applied to the pair of pressure members causes the squeezing of the contents from the collapsible container with the third member applying a squeezing action moving progressively from the one end of the one pressure member towards the other end.
 2. A device according to claim 1, wherein the other of said pair of pressure members supports a movable block for transferring the pressure applied to said other pressure member to the third member, said block being movable on said other pressure member to shift the point of application of the pressure transfer to the third member thereby changing the leverage placed on the container being squeezed by the device.
 3. A device according to claim 1, wherein the one member of said pair of pressure members has a thickness substantially greater than the thickness of the third member and the other member of said Pair of pressure members.
 4. A device according to claim 1, wherein said resilient means comprises a pair of spring connectors spaced apart at the one end of said members to provide a slot between the third member and the one of said pair of said pressure members at said one end, said slot being adapted to receive the flattened end of the container which end is created after removal of some of the contents of the container.
 5. A device according to claim 1, wherein said resilient means includes a spring extending between a pair of foot members, said foot members acting on the outer surfaces of the pair of pressure members and having support surfaces for enabling an upright storage of the device with the one end being the base.
 6. A device according to claim 5, wherein at least one of said pressure members has slots for receiving the spring of the resilient means so that the pressure member is removably assembled with the other members and is removable to enable cleaning of the pair of pressure members and the third member.
 7. A device according to claim 1, wherein the resilient means are a pair of springs spaced from each other at said one end of said members, said springs include block members engaging the outer surfaces of each of the pressure members to urge the one end of the pair of pressure members into engagement with the third member, said block members having support surfaces enabling the positioning of the device on said one end, and wherein the other of said pair of pressure members has a force transfer means disposed thereon for transferring force applied to said other pressure member to the third member, said force transfer means being movably mounted on said other member so that the point of transfer to the third member can be shifted with respect to the one end to vary the leverage applied to the third member.
 8. A device according to claim 7, wherein said force transfer means is a member pivotally connected to the other of said pair of pressure members, so that pivoting of said member through an arc of 180* shifts the point of transfer for the force transfer means. 